the rain that falls on you
by Mia-Zeklos
Summary: "Jace." His name was said on an exhale, with Alec sinking to his knees next to him on the pavement, arms wrapping around him before Jace had had the chance to react. "Thank the Angel."
1. Chapter 1

**Notes: So! I haven't posted anything in a while, for which I apologise. This was written for a prompt; I hope it's enjoyable and I'd love to know what you think!**

Jace was freezing. He was doing his best not to give in to it – he had enough to deal with as it was and complaining would get him nowhere – but it was a wasted effort; he could feel himself shaking and even if he was painfully aware of how obvious it was, the situation was already out of his control.

It wasn't all that cold, really, or so he suspected. It was the beginning of September and while he was still soaking wet after jumping off of the Morning Star, he hadn't expected to feel quite so bad in the aftermath. Vaguely frustrated with his own inability to focus on anything else, he was just starting to consider that it was possible that one of his father's resident Warlocks had cast a curse on him before he'd managed to escape when Alec came into view.

His parabatai looked like he'd seen better days too. His hair was dishevelled, he was out of breath and what was visible from his skin was covered in already purpling bruises, but he was alive, he was mostly _unharmed_ and if Jace hadn't been so exhausted, he thought he might have cried.

"Jace." His name was said on an exhale, with Alec sinking to his knees next to him on the pavement, arms wrapping around him before Jace had had the chance to react. "Thank the Angel."

Still shivering, Jace let himself sink into the embrace. The last few hours (and days, and weeks, if he was honest with himself) had been hell. Clary's appearance on the ship had been unexpected to say the least and the same went for Alec, who'd apparently tracked him down to the beach he'd ended up on before Jace had even thought about figuring out where exactly he was. He had yet to be given an explanation, but he wasn't in a rush; not when he could feel himself gradually getting warmer under Alec's touch. He couldn't move, could barely _breathe_ , but he just had to ask:

"Where's Clary? How did you find me?" he rasped, tightening his grip even more. It was selfish and he could feel Alec's clothes getting soaked too, but he couldn't help it. "I never thought—"

"Clary's okay; you'll see her in a minute. I tracked you through our rune. There was this stone Jocelyn gave me— it doesn't matter now."

"No," Jace nodded. He pulled away by a fraction; enough for Alec's face to come into focus again. "It doesn't." Still disoriented by everything that had gone down in the matter of _hours_ , Jace couldn't do much but take a quick look around them only to confirm what he already knew: they were alone.

The next thing he knew, they were kissing, Alec's lips almost burning against his own still cold mouth. It was a desperate gesture, one that he hadn't planned but one he'd dreamt of for a while. On the ship, the thought of home – of _Alec_ – had been one of the few things that kept him going and it had been so difficult with their bond as weak as it had been at the time, but he'd managed it somehow, so focused on getting both Clary and himself off the ship that he hadn't noticed how much more strain the latest tracking had put on them.

Now, as Alec's emotions came rushing in through their bond, the contrast was almost painful. With a frantic sort of elevation, Jace realised that he was _grateful_ for all the changes in their bond ever since they'd started their supposedly ill advised relationship because who could tell what would have happened otherwise? Before he'd left with his father, their bond had just started growing stronger until it was almost palpable and he suspected that that was what had kept it safe until now no matter what the Clave had to say about it.

Alec pulled away, gentle and yet firm when Jace tried to chase after him. "We need to get to Magnus's place," he said, one of his hands cupping Jace's cheek as if to ground him. "Think you're up to using a portal?"

"I'll be fine," Jace assured him. "I thought we'd go back to the Institute." His frown deepened as all he received in return was an anxious headshake. "Alec, what's going on?"

"Magnus agreed to help." It seemed to be the only answer he would get for now. "You need to rest first, and we need to get away from here. We'll talk later."

Something had happened in his absence, something major, but the last thing Jace wanted just then was to bring that up. Instead, he wrapped an arm around Alec's shoulders and allowed him to walk them both through the portal whirling in front of them. Everything else could wait.

 **o.O.o**

Jace didn't know when he'd passed out – it was likely that he hadn't been as ready for the trip through the portal as he'd liked to imagine – but he became aware of his surroundings the moment he managed to open his eyes. Everything in his body _hurt_ and he winced as he sat up in the spacious bed he'd found himself in, gaze fixing on the figure on the edge of it a second later.

Fondness mixed with something akin to desperation washed over Jace as he watched his parabatai. _Of course he'd fallen asleep_. It must have been exhausting; tracking him down and tracking _Clary_ down afterwards only to find him. He had probably decided to watch over him and the fatigue had proven to be too much at some point during the night, but there was no way Jace would be able to get up without waking him. There was no way he would be able to get up, period, he realised, and he suspected that it would take a while before he'd find the strength to do it, so he just tapped his parabatai's shoulder instead, the light touch startling him into awareness immediately.

"You're awake," Alec acknowledged, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes. "How are you feeling? Do you need an iratze? I meant to ask before, but—"

"It can wait." Valentine had wanted to keep him at least _somewhat_ in fighting shape and he'd escaped in the best possible moment. They'd been lucky – all of them – in more ways than one and soon enough, Jace knew that he'd want to know about everything that had happened and to talk to everyone waiting outside of this room (everyone that had helped him escape, he amended, even if he hadn't found out just _how_ yet), but for now, none of it mattered. He could feel the bond between them try and bring him even closer to Alec all on its own as they kissed again, the urgency from the beach giving way to something much gentler. It was nothing but a stolen moment, they were both aware of that, and it was that knowledge that made it all the more painful, but Jace welcomed it nevertheless: whatever waited ahead of them, he wouldn't trade this for the world.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes: This is not actually connected to the previous fic; it just takes place in the same 'verse (in which Jace and Alec were already in a relationship when canon started), which is why it's here. Hope you enjoy it and, as always, feedback is welcome!**

It had been stupid, so stupid. In hindsight, it was obvious. All Jace had wanted was to help with whatever it was that Clary had heard in her vision, but things had slipped out of control so quickly that he'd barely managed to keep track of what was happening.

It wasn't an ideal situation, to put it lightly; just him and Clary and Luke downstairs – Luke, who was too busy trying to find his sister and dealing with Valentine. He'd called Alec on their way to his father's new hiding place and he'd given him the address over the phone, but his parabatai hadn't turned up just yet. Jace had been in too much of a hurry to tell him the whole story and he wasn't sure how he would take the news. The vague perspective of having the opportunity to take the Mortal Sword again was one thing, especially if it would help them regain their positions in the Institute, but he had no way of knowing what Alec would do if he had learnt the truth about Valentine's latest plan too early on.

 _Valentine_... Jace was used to expecting anything and everything from his father, but even he hadn't considered the possibility of him capturing an angel. It was unthinkable, _unfathomable_ , to try and trap a higher being in this dimension and despite Clary's warnings, Jace had been shaken to the core at the sight of him chained and weakened as he was.

He was surrounded by so many guards, too. Jace focused on them for now, unwilling to approach the angel on his own. He hadn't really thought far ahead enough to think about what he would do when it was just the three of them left, but he'd figure something out eventually. For now, Clary could handle this on her own. She'd done well enough so far and it was clearly _her_ that the angel had wanted to communicate with in the first place, after all, so there was no point in intruding.

"Jace!"

Jace turned on his heel just in time to see another attacker – one he hadn't seen approaching, still too busy with the Circle member he'd already been fighting with – fall at his feet under the impact of Alec's arrow. He'd been the last one, from what he could see, and no one else was coming.

Jace let the thought sink in for a moment. For now, they were done; alone in this little corner, invisible to the rest of the world under the clouds of the oncoming storm. Backup would arrive eventually and Valentine would learn what had happened sooner rather than later, but it didn't matter now. Setting the angel free was their first priority and he was just about to tell Alec that when his parabatai let his bow dematerialise once again and brought him in for a kiss.

It wasn't much of a surprise. If anything, it was typical – battles usually made them both less likely to control themselves and they never managed it when it was just the two of them – and Jace forgot about the _where_ and _when_ of their current situation for a moment or two, wrapping his arms around Alec's neck to draw him even closer. It was a quick, reassuring gesture – _I'm fine, you have nothing to worry about_ – but it had become almost essential for them the more they delved into this relationship. One day, it might prove to be a disadvantage but for now, it felt like a gift, their bond intertwining their souls as deeply as it could, seemingly rejoicing at this new reunion.

It was only when they separated that Jace remembered where they actually were. Alec hadn't noticed much of his surrounding after he'd killed the last of the guards, so he had no way of knowing. Clary had probably been too preoccupied dealing with the chains to pay attention to them, and even if she hadn't been, that wasn't the issue – a long time ago, before the war had even started, she'd connected some of the dots and Jace had finally told her about his relationship with Alec and why it had to be kept a secret. No, it was the _angel_ ; the one that Jace had most definitely not forgotten about and who had most definitely seen him disobey one of the most ancient vows ever granted to the Nephilim.

"Alec," he spoke, voice barely audible to his own ears as he disentangled himself from his parabatai's embrace until only their hands were linked together. This was allowed and it was _safe_. It was the only safe thing in the world right now, as far as Jace was concerned. "I think Clary might need help."

They turned the corner that had hidden the angel from Alec's field of vision until now and Jace could feel his parabatai freeze under his touch, his grip on his hand tightening even more as he made a few cautious steps. His expression was unreadable and the emotions coming through their bond were a _mess_ ; apprehension and awe and guilt and shock all mashed into one until Jace couldn't quite tell them apart.

From what he could see, Clary was actually doing fine. Despite the fact that the unlocking runes they'd tried before hadn't worked, she had apparently managed to think of something because the angel was free now and she was standing next to him, caught up in a wordless conversation that no one else was made privy to. Jace could still feel that strange pull from before, though; the one that had made him trust Clary's theory about Valentine's plan no matter how outlandish it had sounded at the time.

And it wasn't just that. The angel was looking at _him_ now and while he'd stopped expecting to be punished for his demonic blood (it wasn't his doing and someone so powerful had to know that already and either way, angels weren't _capable_ of hate no matter what his father had said), the realisation that he'd been arrogant enough to kiss his _parabatai_ of all people in front of him still weighed him down, the trepidation strong enough to make him hesitant.

It was ironic, really, that they'd ended up here. Ever since the day he and Alec had finally confessed their feelings to one another, there had been the unspoken fear of some divine intervention. The stories about parabatai falling in love that the Clave used as an example always ended in tragedy and death and everything they'd been told always had an undercurrent of a _sentence_ to it. _This is what happens to the ones who disobey the Law_. Putting the blame on the Angel and the decisions he'd made for them over a thousand years ago had only made sense and it was almost overwhelming to _not_ be punished now.

"Go," Alec said, pulling Jace out of his trance. "I think he wants to speak to you." He seemed calmer already, the surprise gone from his eyes and replaced by something just as mystifying; just as _new_. He was still straying away from the angel, but it was more respect than anything else now, which was to be expected – he'd been raised with the stories of Raziel and his brothers since early childhood, but nothing had ever prepared him for _this_. "Go!" he urged again and Jace complied this time, still not letting go of Alec's hand as he reached for Ithuriel's.


End file.
